Conveyer



are 15, 1932. KINNEY 1,849 237 CQNVEYER Filed July 31, 1928 2Sheets-Sheet 1 F. D. KINNEY March is, 1932.

CONVEYER Filed July 31, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2gamrsqgwgrigm,nuizrcrrarmzlaxdavm ig l. 747/3 Patented Mans, 1932 UNITEDSTATES PATENT-OFFICE FAY D. KINNEY, OF WENHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, .A SSIGNORTO UNITED SHOE MA- CHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEXV JERSEY,COI'tPOIEtAflION OF NEW JERSEY GONVEYER Application filed July 31,

illthey are handled in connection with their utilization or storage. I

In such operations as the making of shoes, certain work-portions, ofwhich the soles furnish an example, are coated with cement.

1.; Before these are used or'placed in books to be distributed tooperators, they are exposed for a time to the air, so they shall not beunduly sticky. In this connection, a common practice isto deliver thearticlesfrom the cementer to a long conveyer, which extends as far aspossible through the factory, they being sufiiciently dried when theyhave reached the opposite extremity. This is ob- 2b viously wasteful ofspace, and factory buildings are often of such a character that thenecessary extent of travel is difficult to obtain. It is an object ofthis invention to provide, in a simple manner,as long a path as isnecessary through which the work-pieces may advance, this path lyingwithin a relatively contracted area and also having comparatively smallvertical dimensions. To thls end, I arrange a belt-conveyer in a coilw1th successive convolutions of the coil resting one upon another andalong which articles are conveyed, and with this conveyer associatemeans for causing its travel. To apply this driving power, the belt,which is preferably endless, is extended from the coil in a loop,

and power means is associated with this .loop. The coated pieces may bedelivered to one extremity of the coil and removed at the otherextremity, passing between the successive convolutions or verticallayers, the number of these being sufiicient to give the desired lengthof travel. To allow access of the air to the drying articles, the belt,which is flat, is preferably foraminous, the particular form illustratedbeing reticulated, with the meshes formed by succesesive links. The coilis. shown as carried upon a support, which is r0- tatable to permit thefree advance of the belt, its axis being preferably vertical, and therebeing a flange at the lower extremity of the support upon which the coilrests. The

1928. Serial No. 296,560.

of the coil, as a terminal convolution and that I adjacent to it, whichmeans may consist of lnchned plates or walls extendingybetween saidconvolntions.

Additional power means may be associated with a separator, as betweenthe last layer of the belt and the adjacent layer. This assists inadvancing the belt, especially overcoming the frictional resistance ofthe separator. Means is provided for guiding the belt toward and fromthe coil at its extremities to form the loop. Over the guides the beltis preferably drawn at the lower end of the coil, and returnedvertically to the upper extremity, so-it is led by gravity upon the toplayer or upon the separating wall associated with said layer. 7 I

A specific embodiment of this invention appears in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 shows" my improved conveyer in perspectiveFig. 2 is an enlarged detail in perspective of one'extremity ofthe lowerseparator and its more closely associated elements;

, Fig. 3 is a vertical section takentrahsverse- 1y of the axis of theroll .co-operating with the lower separator; v

Fig. 4 is. a perspective view illustrating the construction of the belt,and

Fig. 5 is a perspective View looking toward the edge of the lowerseparator, with the.

belt B, its inner edge contacting with the pe stantially fiat on theflange 16. The supporting surface of this belt gives comparatively smallareas of contact with the objects which it carries,these being alongnarrow lines made up of sections 24: of different links, such linesbeing spaced from each other and inclined across the face of theconveyer. The belt B is endless and is led in a loop from the upper andlower extremities of the coil. Considering the outgoing end of the coil,it leaves its support upon the flange 16 and passes, preferably in asubstantially horizontal direction, over a guide-roll 26 rotatable abouta horizontal axis upon the end of the frame, then below this and thedrum to a guide-roll 28 turning in the opposite extrem ity of the frame.From the roll 28, the belt rises to an abutment-roll 30, between thisand a co-operating driving roll 32 preferably faced with some suchyieldable material as rubber. The contact of this yieldablesurface withthe irregular face of the belt produces a good driving engagement. Theroll 32 receives power from a pulley 34 or the like and draws the beltfrom the coil, rotating the drum about its spindle, said belt beingreturned to the top of the coil over a roll 36, which is shown asadjustable in slotted standards 38 upon the top of the frame. The heightchosen for the roll 36 is sufficient to causethe vertical run-of thebelt to descend under the influence of gravity, and at the same timetake up the portion between the driving rolls 80, 32 and the guide-roll36.

Atthe points where there is a change of direction of travel of the beltfrom the coil to the loop and the reverse, there might interference withthe advance of the work pieces being conveyed. The entrance of thesepieces between the upper and succeeding layer might be, resisted, whiletheir passage in leaving the coil between the tangential lower layer andthat above it would tend to displace the pieces. These effects I preventby the introduction of separating plates or walls between each outerconvolution of the coil and thatadjacent to it. Beneath the incominglayeris placed a plate 40 mounted upon the frame and inclined downwardlyfrom a point somew rat to the rear of the belt descending from the roll36; until it is above tiie second turn of the coil. A vertical flange 42upon the plate 40 retains the belt at this point against outwarddisplacement. The plate here forms a tapered throat, into which thework-pieces readily enter when passing on the second layer beneath thefirst.

etween the outgoing run of the belt and the layer above it extends aplate 44 with a gnarl-flange 926 at its outer edge. This so separatesthe straight portion of the loop from the curved convolution'of the coilabove that, during the change of direction of the articlesconveyed, theyare in contact only with the former. 1 1

Assistance be given to the power-roll 32 in forwarding the belt byauxiliary driving means. This is of peculiar utility where the weight ofthe coil causes it to drag upon the plate a l. I therefore place at theinner end of this plate a yieldable-surfaced roll 48 journaled in theframe transversely of the belt, and the upper portion of which is justabove the supporting surface of the plate 4 Rotation imparted to theroll, in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, through bevel-' 50, avertical shaft 52, bevel-gearing rizontal shaft and belt-gearing 56, Theroll 48 54-, a ho from the shaft of the roll 32;

holds the belt away'from the adjacent edge of it is sometimes found thatthe coil of belt tends to rise at its inner side under the influence ofthe all upon it, thus giving a downwardly and outwardly inclinedsurface, rather than the substantially flat surface desired. 'This maybe prevented by applying pressure to the upper layer of the coil, as byidle roll 58rotatable about a spindle projecting from an arm 60 pivotedupon the frame. This roll is of sufiicient weight to hold the belt inplace upon the support, but n ay rise as the work passes beneath it.

v In using this conveying and drying apparatus, the belt Bis caused toadvance constantly through power applied at-the rolls 32 and 48. Thecoated'work-pieces such as soles S are delivered as from a cementingmachine, coated sidesdown. to the upper layer of the belt at or near thepoint A. Y From this they are delivered to the throat beneath the l0,thus entering upon the second layer and so continuing, convolution byconvolution, to the bottom, of the coil. of the limited areaof cont actof the belt-links at 24'.- with the under sides of the pieces, the

On accountcoating which they carry is not materially are emei ging fromthe coil. 7 At or nearthe point Z, the pieces are removed from the beltby an attendant, or they may be delivered to an automatic stackingmechanism. Withered with as to their angular positions.

in reasonable limits of vertical height, it will be evident that thepath through which the work travels may be as long as desired, with outincreasing the area occupied by the apparatus, such area being verysmall. Air passes freely between the meshes of the belt, thusfacilitating the drying operation, and this may be further hastened bydelivering a cur rent of heated air upon the coil. On account of therelatively small space occupied by the conveyer, such a. delivery of airmay be made more effective by enclosing theapparatus in a. housing.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentof the United States is:

1. A conveyer comprising a belt arranged in a coil with successiveconvolutions resting one upon another and along which the articles areconveyed. and means for causing the travel of the belt.

2. A conveyer comprising an endless belt arranged in a coil and a loopextending from the coil, a support upon which the coil rests at oneextremity only, and means for applying a driving force to the loop.

3. A conveyer comprising an endless belt arranged in a coil and a loopextending from the coil, means for applying a driving force to the loop,and means for applying a driving force to a convolution of the coil.

4. A conveyer comprising an endless belt arranged in a coil and a loopextending from the coil, means for applying a driving force to the loopto draw the belt from the coil, and guiding means for the belt arrangedto allow its return to the coil by gravity.

5. A drying conveyer. comprising a belt of foraminous material arrangedin a coil with successive convolutions resting one upon another. andmeans for rotating the coil.

6. A drying conveyer comprising an endless belt having successive linksextending transversely of the belt and connected to move relatively toone another, and a rotatable support about which the belt is coiled withthe convolutions resting one upon another.

7 A conveyer comprising a flat belt arranged in a coil with successiveconvolutions resting one upon another, a rotatable support for the coil,and means for applying power to the belt to rotate the support.

8. A conveyer comprising a belt arranged in a coil with successiveconvolutions resting one upon another, means for causing the travel ofthe belt, and pressure means contacting with an outer convolution of thecoil.

9. A drying conveyer comprising a belt of foraminous material arrangedin a coil with successive convolutions resting one upon another, and ayieldable pressure member resting upon the upper convolution of thecoil.

10. A conveyer comprising a flat belt arranged in a coil with successiveconvolutions resting one upon another, means for causing the travel ofthe belt, and separating means associated with a terminal convolutionand an adjacent convolution only of the coil.

11. In a drying conveyer, the combination with a support, of a coil offiat conveyerbelt resting at its bottom extremity only upon sa dsupport, means for advancing the belt,

and means for guiding the belt toward and from the coil at itsextremities.

12. In a drying conveyer, the combination with a support rotatable abouta substantially vertical axis, of a coil of endless flat I conveyer-beltcarried thereby, means for guiding the belt toward and from the coil atits extremities, and means independent of the support for causing thetravel. of the belt.

I 13. In a drying conveyer, the combination with a support rotatableabout a substantially vertical axis, of a coil of conveyer-beltcarriedby'thesupport, means for drawing the belt horizontally from thelower end of the coil, and means for returning said belt vertically uponthe upper extremity of the coil.

14. In a drying conveyer, the combination with a support, of a coil offlat conveyenbelt F the support for applying power to the belt '2 todraw it from the support and thereby rotate said support. 7

16. In a drying conveyer, the combination Witha support, of a coil ofconveyer-belt carried thereby, means for guiding'the belt toj ward andfrom the coil at its extremities, and

a separator extending between convolutionsv .ofthe coll near anextremity thereof.

; 17. In a-drying conveyer, the combination with a support, of a coil ofconveyer-belt car- "it ried thereby, means for guiding the belt towardand from the coil atits extremities, a separator extending between theconvolutions of the coil near an extremity thereof, and

means for applying power to the belt adjacent to the separator.

18. In a drying conveyer, the combination with a support, of a coil ofconveyer-belt carried thereby, means for guiding the belt toward andfrom the coil at its extremities, and

separating means extending between convoc'o1l at opposite extremitieslutions of the thereof.

H :19. In a drying conveyer, the combination with a support, of a coil'of conveyer-belt, carried thereby and consisting of successiveconvolutions of reticulated material resting one the recticulatedsurface of the belt. V

20. In a drying conveyer, the, combination upon; another, and powermeansengaging' with a support, of a coil of conveyer-belt carriedthereby and consisting of successive convolutions of reticulatedmaterial resting one upon another, power means engaging the reticulatedsurface of the belt, and a pressure member engaging said belt.

21. The combination with a support rotatable about a substantiallyvertical axis and having a flange at its lower portion, of a coil offiat conveyer-belt'resting upon the flange, and means for drawing thebelt from and returning it to the support.

22. The combination with a support rotatable about a substantiallyvertical axis and having afiange at its lower portion, of a coil ofconveyer-belt resting upon the flange, a roll extending between thelowest layer of the coil and the adjacent layer, and means for rotatingthe roll.

23. The combination with a support rotatable about a substantiallyvertical axis and having a flange at its lower portion, of a coil ofconveyer-belt resting upon the flange, walls extending respectivelybetween the upaer and lower layers of the coil and the layer adjacent toeach, and means for drawing the belt from and returning it to thesupport.

24. The combination with. a support rotatable about a substantiallyvertical axis and having a flange at its lower portion, of a coil ofconveyerbelt resting upon the flange,

walls extending respectively between the upper and lower layers of thecoil and the layer adjacent to each, a guide-roll for the belt situatedabove the upper wall, guide-rolls lying substantiall in the plane of thelower wall, and a driving roll engaging the belt.

The combination with a support rotatable about a substantially verticalaxis and having a flange at its lower portion, of a coil ofconveyer-belt resting upon the fiange,a

. guide-roll for the belt situated above the upper layer ofthe coil,guide-rolls lying substantially in the plane of the lower layer, and adriving roll engaging the belt between the coil and one of the guiderolls. V

26. The combination with a supportrotatable about a substantiallyvertical axis and having a flange at itslower portion, of a coil ofconveyer-belt resting upon the flange, a guide-roll for the beltsituated above the upper layer of the coil, guide-rolls lyingsubstantially in the plane of the lower layer, and a driving rollengaging the belt between the convolutions of the coil.

27. The-combination with a support rotatable about a substantiallyvertical axis and having a flange at its lower portion, of a coil ofconveyer-belt resting upon the flange, means for'drawing the belt fromand re turning it to the support, and a pressure-roll contacting withthe upper layer ofthe coil.

' In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

I FAY n. KINNEY.

